Balenciaga Criticized For Creepy Ads Featuring Kids With Teddy Bears Dressed As Bondage

This advertisement campaign by luxury brand Balenciaga has been the subject of much controversy, with many on the internet calling it “disturbing,” “inappropriate,” and “unconstitutional.”

As you can see from the advertisement on Balenciaga’s website, child models are posed on the bed holding teddy bears wearing what would appear to be bondage gear.

Luxury Fashion House Balenciaga is raising Child Safety Concerns

A new advertising campaign from luxury fashion house Balenciaga is raising concerns over child safeguarding following the launch of an advertisement featuring children and toys themed around the bondage bond that many call disturbing has raised concern over child safeguarding.

Twitter user @DatCatDer posted a screenshot on November 19 that showed off images used in the marketing campaign for Balenciaga’s holiday gift shop on the official website, along with a description of how the photos were used.

In both images, teddy bears are held by models who appear to be very young children as they pose with their toys. Even though the photoshoot seems innocent enough, to begin with, an examination of the accessories the bears are wearing immediately raises eyebrows when a closer look is taken at what they are wearing.

Here Are The Details About The Ad Images That Were Used In The Advertisement

A screenshot of Balenciaga’s US website shows a child with a teddy bear wearing a fishnet top, a collar with a lock, and ankle and wrist restraints. She is holding her teddy bear on a pink bed while wearing a fishnet top and a collar with a lock.

Upon enlarging the image, we can see another teddy bear sitting in the bedroom with a blindfold, collar, and a collar around its neck.

In the second image, taken from a catalog published by the gift shop, we see a different child holding a teddy bear. This collar has been linked to a leather chest collar and harness. He is standing on a couch with a different child model.

In addition to the first teddy bear, a second teddy bear is visible in the room wearing more leather gear, just as in the first picture. The bears are hand-held accessories that Balenciaga developed for its Spring 2023 collection and are from that collection.

Photographs Taken By Gabriele Galimberti For National Geographic

When @DatCatDer posted these screenshots, they were part of a more extensive series of photos that started popping up on Balenciaga’s official Instagram on November 16. These photos were part of a broader series of images.

Six images have been released since then. These images show children posing with Balenciaga gift shop items and the items they are posing with. Out of the three sets, only one does not include toys influenced by BDSM.

As part of his “Toy Stories” project, a portfolio that features photos of children from around the world and their favorite toys, National Geographic photographer Gabriele Galimberti, has taken all of these photographs, and his Instagram profile shows more pictures from his project, including more images of kids.

There were some critical comments about the bondage teddy bear photos on Balenciaga’s Instagram feed, with users asking whether the photos were appropriate for the brand. The images were described as soul-crushing on so many levels by one user, and another added, “you’ve crossed over a line for me now” by another user. Users can no longer leave comments on the fashion house’s website.

Undeniably, the images used in the ad campaign were very creepy and inappropriate. If you were to comment on them, what would you say? Comment below and tell us what you think.